Former Blues midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has criticised FIFA ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, lamenting the continued impact that money has on the game.
Hitzlsperger, who represented Germany on 52 occasions, has grappled with how to engage with a tournament tarnished by the human rights atrocities committed by the host nation. In an interview with The Guardian, the Bundesliga winner insisted that, had he been asked to attend a game in the Gulf state, he would decline the offer.
“If I had the option, I wouldn’t: it just doesn’t feel right after what I have seen, the things I have said in public.
“You can’t be paid by Qatar or FIFA and at the same time criticise them, it doesn’t make sense.
“You see the world we live in, how sick it is that we allowed Qatar to buy the right to send pictures to the world for four weeks, presenting themselves as something they’re not. It’s not just sad, it’s sick.”
Hitzlsperger, who came out as gay in 2014, has questioned why there hasn’t been more of a movement to boycott the tournament given the fact that homosexuality is illegal in the host nation, emphasizing the limited impact of token gestures.
“The question has been why don’t teams boycott the tournament?
“They can’t even agree on an armband. Not long ago, the German FA president and the interior minister said they had been reassured by the Qatari interior minister that everybody would be safe.
“And you think: what world are we living in? That someone has to give a guarantee.”
The German international made 7 Premier League appearances for Everton in the 2012/13 season, before announcing his retirement at the age of 31.